Oh, To Be a College Student!

It's that time of year again. College towns have re-populated and the grocery stores are bare of bread and ramen noodles. Last year at this time, I was thankful that school was over. No more classes, no more Tiger transits and no more tests. But now, after a year of working in the real world, it all doesn't sound so bad.

Here in east Tennessee the weather is already starting to change. I've been wearing a light jacket into and out of work for a couple weeks now and it reminds me of fall-time in Auburn. It makes me long to be back on the plains to endure cramped transit rides and a mile long line at Chick-fil-A.

There is something magical about Auburn.

I can just picture it. Students sitting on blankets in front of Samford Hall, reading books, talking with friends and listening to the fight song chime at noon. Orange and blue is a common sighting and War Eagles happen for no good reason. Tailgaters and football fans make traffic horrendous but the pure and undeniable feeling of camaraderie makes me smile. Watching the eagle fly before kickoff is something special and being there with 87,451 of your closest friends makes it that much better. Being an Auburn student means you are a part of something, something huge. Auburn really is like a family if you want it to be.  Game days are the best days, win or lose. If you are a true Auburn fan, you're always proud to be an Auburn Tiger. But even on a Tuesday, I loved Auburn. There's nothing like Big Blue's blueberry bagel with strawberry cream cheese to ease your mind after a final. And Momma G's is always worth the wait. Some people call Auburn the "Cow College" and sure, I saw a handful of cows during my Auburn years. But more importantly I saw horses, beautiful horses behind pristine white fences on large, rolling fields. Auburn is a small town with small town charm. That's one thing I love about it.

Do I miss Auburn? Yeah, I miss Auburn. And even though I'm a little jealous of all these college students starting their next semester, I'm also excited for them. I hope they take in every moment that they spend there and appreciate the beauty of everything around them. Auburn is a magical place.

Is your college town as awesome as my college town? Maybe you think it is. And that's my hope for everyone. I hope that their college experience is so outstanding that they long to go back and that the memories they created there make them smile.

Here's to college, here's to memories and here's to Auburn!

Love and Happiness,
Bethany

Love Letters From Paul

Paul and I attacked the apartment this past weekend and began the horrible task of packing to move. Packing might be one of those things that I truly hate. I could spend hours putting things in boxes and it feel like I haven't done anything at all. Talk about discouraging. 

But for some reason, this packing experience wasn't so bad. Sure, there were times where I just laid on the floor and refused to do anything but for the most part, we were very productive. The best part of packing up everything was getting the chance to look through that stack of pictures I hadn't seen in a while or read those birthday and Christmas cards from years ago stored in a junk drawer. Yes, I'm a little bit of a hoarder which made this past weekend pretty interesting. Paul happened to stumble across a stack of old letters. Love letters. From him. As we read the letters, most of which I hadn't read in years, we laughed and smiled and reminisced about the beginning of our relationship. It was so sweet to read those letters again. We were so young and naive but somehow our relationship flourished into the one it is today. Reading those cheesy lines from the mind of an 18 year old made us both laugh until tears ran my face. Why in the world did I date such a cornball?! Paul, shaking with laughter asked,"Why did you stay with me?" There I am, rolling on the floor laughing reading his letters, falling more in love with the cheesy, cornball of a man I fell for 7 years ago. It was definitely my favorite part of the packing experience. 

Paul may not be a poet or writer, but he's my favorite author of them all. No matter how cheesy and no matter how corny, I'm lucky to have love letters from my favorite man. 

Love and Happiness, 

Bethany

Having a Place to Live is Overrated

Life's been a little hectic lately at the Coulston house. Between finding out that we had 30 days to vacate our apartment (with no where to go I might ad), having to pack up everything, waiting to hear back from our lending agent about the loan, accommodating our mean landlord as he shows the apartment to multitudes of awkward renters and researching which extended stay hotel would fit us best...we're struggling to keep a positive attitude. 

Paul keeps telling me that I'm handling everything so well and that he is proud of me for staying so strong. But honestly, I'm getting a little depressed. Imagine the fear I feel as I pack up my clothes, the entire contents of our kitchen and every decorative item on our walls. No a single nick-knack is on the mantle and heavy boxes labeled "FRAGILE" creates a maze around the house. It wouldn't be so frightening if we knew where we were moving to. Soon, all of our things will be packed away in a storage unit and we'll be living out of suitcases. 

If you'd ever asked me if I saw this coming, I'd have to say no. So much for always having a plan. Our predictable life just a lot less predictable. I'm trying my best to find the positive in this situation but more often than not I find myself overwhelmed by the unknown. 

The biggest blessing that I've discovered throughout all of this is my wonderful husband. I know, I know. You're probably tired of hearing how amazing he is, but it's hard to avoid the truth. Paul is so supportive of me, even when I'm having a hysterical breakdown full of irrational bursts of fear. Every night since "the news" I look up at him while I'm snuggled on his chest and ask, "Are we going to be okay?" And when he says yes, I believe him. And in the midst of chaos and an "empty" house, there sits the roses he bought me after an especially emotional breakdown. Yeah, he's good. 

So, as of today I have no idea where we'll be living on September 1st. Am I okay with that? Not really, but I guess we can't always get what we want. 

On a happier note, Auburn football kicks off on September 1st. Orange and blue and hopefully an Auburn win gives us something to look forward to for our first day as homeless people. War Eagle to that! 

Love and Happiness,

Bethany 

30 Days Until We're HOMELESS

Sometimes life throws you a curve ball. Sometimes you'll hit a home run and sometimes you won't. And then there's those times where you're up to bat and the pitcher throws that ball straight at your face and breaks your nose. That happens, right? Well, in the world of symbolism it does. 


Yesterday our landlord, the pitcher, did just that to Paul and I. Per his phone call and letter, we have until the end of the month to be out of our apartment. Excuse me? 30 days? Where are we suppose to go? That's of no concern to him, unless we want to sign a 6 month lease. I know what you're thinking. Just sign a 6 month lease! That would be peachy if Paul and I weren't closing on a house at the end of the month. Perfect timing some might say, but it's not. The house is completely not livable and we will need several months to move in. But, like our landlord says, we only have 30 days. So here I am, freaking out,  because come September 1st, we'll be homeless. 

Homeless? I've never been homeless before. Come see us at the overpass downtown and bring a cardboard box for me to sleep on. :) Seriously though. This isn't just a curve ball, it's a ball flying 90 mph at our faces. And by the way, baseball's not my strong suit. But after a few tears and angry bursts of landlord inspired rage, Paul and I held hands and laughed. We laughed hard. Sometimes when we are astounded by the challenges in our lives, there is nothing left to do but laugh. And sure, I freaked out initially, but for some reason I have a strange calm about the situation. No one ever said life would be easy and if they had it would have been a lie. Life's tough, get a helmet...especially one with a face-guard to block those baseballs flying at your head. 


So, if you're reading this and you're a person of prayer, maybe send one up for us. Hopefully it will all work out Angels in the Outfield style, miraculously saving the day. 


Love and Happiness, 
Bethany

Seven Years Ago I Found My Other Half

On August 1st, 2005 I was 15 years old enjoying the last weeks of summer between my freshman and sophomore year of high school. Who would have known that a simple invitation to hang out was going to be the beginning of our love story. 

Our love story isn't typical, but who's is? In fact, as our relationship progressed Paul confessed that the only reason he called me that night was because all of his other friends were out of town. Good thing I answered his phone call and thank goodness my family didn't take summer vacations. :) It's funny how I went from being on the bottom of his friend list to becoming his best friend and number one. 

So, here we are 7 years later, more in love than we've ever been. It's amazing looking back on the beginning of our relationship and laugh at how young we were and how things have changed. I mean I was 15 years old and couldn't drive. He was 18 and a college student. 

No one thought we'd make it, let alone get married. To be honest, neither did we. But somewhere along the way we realized that what started out as a friendship and a fling had turned into the greatest love two people can share. Did I think I'd meet my soul mate in the cafeteria at Scottsboro High School? Heck no! But am I glad I did? Absolutely! 

And seriously, what 15 year old girl doesn't want to date the prom king? Paul looked so good in that crown and sash. 

Love and Happiness, 

Bethany

~ Young love ~